Darrell's Chair Archives 2008-01

Thursday, January 31, 2008
The first month of 2008 is now behind us as our second calendar year of fulltiming is getting well underway. Already our 2008 summer plans have changed. We were planning to do workamping in Maine but due to budget constraints we have decided to return to Lake George Escape in the Adirondacks of New York. They are one of the better paying campgrounds in that we are paid for all hours worked while getting a free full hook up campsite. Both Judy and I will be working in the Fun and Games Department as Ambassadors of Fun which means that we get to play while "making a living". I know, it's a rough deal but someone has to do it!!!

When we prepared our budget for the next two years we discovered that at the very least we will need to workamp during the next two summers. Also, we are thinking about taking on a winter workamping assignment as well. As you all know, it is our goal to remain debt free but we also want to maintain a three to six months buffer in our emergency fund. Taking on three workamping assignments during the next 18 months will allow us to accomplish that goal.

We are disappointed, however, that we will not be spending the summer in Maine as we had looked forward to getting together with a lot of our old friends and eating a lot of lobsters. Now we will look forward to officially retiring in August of 2009 (that's when my pensions kick in) and after which we will be able to spend a couple of months in Maine as well as do extensive traveling out west. In the meantime we need to do whatever it takes to maintain our freedom and right now that means workamping about 9 months out of the next 18 months. Keep in mind, that also means we get about 9 months of "vacation" time during that same period. This is still far better than having an "eight to five" J-O-B with 4 weeks off each year. And we will still be "Free to Move About the Country".

Wednesday, January 30, 2008
The rain held off so we had some nice warm weather yesterday. It reminded me of one of those nice spring days we used to get back in Maine. We were able to be outside all day and we did some biking around the park just to see if we remembered how - it was easy, just like riding a bike. :-) We did a lot of visiting as we went so it became more of a social ride than an exercise ride. Later in the afternoon we all joined together around a fire and had pop corn courtesy of Jim and Dottie and J's excellent popping skills over an open flame. Pop corn and wine, could life be any better.

Last night was another story. A cold front decided to move through bringing the promised rain as well as a lot of severe wind. The rain began around 10:00 and lasted for an hour or so but the winds continued pretty much throughout the night. We have not had winds quite that strong since we began RVing. They rumbled around the RV while shaking the heck out of it and, as you remember from Alex's entry, the katts didn't like it one bit - they came up on the bed and cuddled up right next to us.

Looks like the wind has died down and the clouds have passed but it left the coooold behind with the temps being in the high 30's, not quite the shorts and sandal weather of yesterday. What's up with that? This is the deep south, ya know!!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Things are pretty much the same here on East Traveler Street. It has been kind of a rainy month. Every other day it seems to rain with rain predicted again for today and then again on Thursday and Friday - at least it ain't snow. The Mardi Gras parades have been pretty much a wash out this year as it has rained on the ones that we planned to attend. I guess you can say that it has "rained on our parade". But we are hoping to attend at least one parade with Randy and Terry and Dick and Pat followed by going out to dinner. It's always so much more fun when you do things with other couples.

I would like to get the wainscoting installed on the front wall and rebuild the kitchen cabinet under the sink, but I need clear weather so I can bring the bead board outside for cutting. Just as soon as it looks like we'll have three days of good weather I am going to get started, hopefully that will be next week. It probably won't take me that long to accomplish the project, but you just never know what you'll run into.

Judy got her first tooth worked on yesterday and it took about two hours in the dentist's chair. That's not my idea of having a good time. They did another root canal in hopes of saving the tooth, it's a pretty much a 50 / 50 proposition but is worth the try. She will definitely have to have the other one out and a bridge installed. Once it is all over with she should be feeling a lot better, emphasis on the word should.

We're planning a couple of day trips with Norm and Linda Payne. They have not been to the USS Alabama or to Bellingrath Gardens and neither have we, so those are now on our radar screen. We look forward to doing some traveling with them as they were our inspiration for the fulltime lifestyle. Norm is technically astute when it comes to RVs and Linda so talented in the crafts department; we learn something new every time we get with them - hope you don't mind us picking your minds.

Monday, January 28, 2008
- Alex's Random Thoughts -
Pa's struggling with a bad case of writer's block so I took the quill from him and decided to scribble a few words of my own. Katie and I don't like the wind. It blows around the RV and makes the awnings over the slideouts go thump. There I was the other night curled up in front of the fireplace having sweet dreams about some Persian beauty when all of a sudden a tremendous thump thump snapped me onto my feet. Now that's not the least bit funny. You know that it is impossible to return to a nice dream after you have been awakened by having the night lights scared out of you!! Anyway, I think the verdict about slideout awnings is still out. There are certainly advantages and disadvantages but I for one think that the disadvantages far out way the advantages. Of course, I'm not the one that has to climb up on top of the RV and clean the crap off the top of the slideouts before bringing them in.

Speaking of sleeping, I like to get up early in the morning and when I do I would like a little respect. Every morning it's the same ol' thing, I have to get mom out of bed just so I can have some fresh water and breakfast. It would be nice if she would just get up first and when everything is ready call sweetly - "Alex, your breakfast is ready". You'd think that a katt should get a little more respect, wouldn't cha?

Another thing, we katts are enjoying the Sirius Radio that dad and mom have installed in the RV. Whenever they leave they turn on the radio so that Katie and I will have something pleasant to listen to while they're gone. Here's the only issue that I have - I don't like classical music. You just get dozing off to a nice melodious tune and then it goes - bum, bum, bum, bum waking you right back up again.. Katie, on the other hand, doesn't care much for jazz - the high pitch of the clarinet hurts her ears. Oh well, I guess we are just country katts at heart - put it on Prime Country dad.

Lastly, dad says he is starting to get a case of hitch itch. Now Katie and I know exactly what that means. We don't mind traveling but there's gotta be some rules:

1. We don't drive over four hours. Do you have any idea how hard it is to sleep in the back seat of a moving truck? Katts need their katt naps, ya know!

2 We don't drive back to back days. It is bad enough to be stuck in the back seat of a moving truck without having to do it two days in a row. Actually we shouldn't move any more than once a week, but I don't think we will get "buy in" from the humanoids (i.e. mom and dad) on that one.

3. We don't like staying over in truck stops or other places where the slides don't go out. It just doesn't seem like home when the slides are in and katts don't like big changes in any of their nine lives. However, this seems pretty much inevitable in this lifestyle - but to say we still don't like it much when the slides are in is an understatement.

4. And what is it with this "off route, recalculating" every time we stop for fuel? It wouldn't be bad if it we just once, but it keeps repeating itself until we get back onto the highway. Doesn't the darned thing know that there will be no route if we don't stop for fuel?

Oh well, as Porky Pig says, "That's All Folks." Bye for now, Alex. (Dad will be back tomorrow.)

Alex certainly was a Chatty Cathy this morning and I don't think he'll get "buy in" from the humaniods on any of his traveling rules. He certainly can be a hand full at times.

Saturday, January 26, 2008
It rained on and off all last night, there's no better sleeping weather than rain on the roof top. It brings back memories of my childhood. My dad built my brother and I a "bunk house" out behind the garage and that would be our bedroom all summer long. Whenever it rained we would lay in bed and listen to the pitter patter of the rain on the roof. We would snuggle down into our sleeping bags and drift off into never-never land and sleep like babies. I just love the sound of rain on the roof and all of the memories that it conjures up of my youth.

Today is going to be another stay inside day. Judy is working on some of her crafts and I have some more books to read plus I am working on some website modifications for 2008. The fireplace is burning and the katts are curled up and napping. Alex likes to curl up on the rug in front of the fireplace and Katie curls up on her blanket which is on the sofa. I can't seem to sleep as much as they do but I will take my cue from them and just relax for the rest of the day. Man, this fast pace is giving me stress!!!!

Friday, January 25, 2008
Yep, I'm up - finally. Sorry I'm late this morning but I w*rked again last night. I can tell you one thing, nine o'clock is time to go to bed not time to go to w*rk. Lent is right around the corner and I'm definitely giving this w*rk thing up for lent. Here's the scoop for those of you who have been asking about RGIS as a possibility for w*rking while on the road. The w*rk itself is not that bad, you do have to be able to get things down low (sometimes getting on your knees) and get to things up high (sometimes working from step stools or ladders). Generally speaking it is not dirty w*rk, we just had the one store that was really dirty - Old Time Pottery. I've been told that stores specializing in women's undergarments is tedious w*rk but we haven't w*rked any of those to date (stores like Victoria's Secret - but at least the bar code tag would be bigger than the item so you could find it easily!) So, if you could live with the w*rking hours, which are early in the morning or late at night, this would not be a bad J-O-B. The company is nationwide so you could transfer from district to district as you travel.

Well, I woke up with two katts laying on either side of me - they had me book ended. At least they were keeping me warm on this chilly morning, actually I think they were more concerned with keeping themselves warm on this chilly morning. Whenever I sleep in like this I rise up feeling like a zombie and it takes me about a half hour to come to and smell the coffee. But there it is, a full cup of bliss ready for me to partake supplied by my darling wife. Could anyone ask for anything more? The sun is shining brightly, the coffee cup is full, and I don't have to go to w*rk. Life is beautiful!!!!

Thursday, January 24, 2008
Motorhome or fifthwheel? That is a question that everybody asks before going fulltime. There are two major considerations that need to be looked at in order to help answer this question. The first one is money. A motorhome is generally more expensive than a fifthwheel and a tow vehicle combined and in addition to a motorhome you'll need to purchase a "toad" as well. However, there are some really high end fifthwheels selling for over $100k which added to the cost of a tow vehicle could easily put you in the $150 to $175k range or higher. Also, the maintenance costs for a motorhome and "toad" will be higher than for a fifthwheel and tow vehicle. And, as you all know, I advocate being debt free when entering this lifestyle but in any case you will need to determine which one your budget can afford.

Lifestyle is the second major consideration. If you are going to be traveling a lot and only staying in one place for a day or so then a motorhome is far easier than a fifthwheel. Also, motorhomes are more convenient while you're on the road in that you can stop and rest, eat, use the bathroom, or whatever without having to get out of your vehicle. And if you stay in a parking lot along the way you can disconnect your "toad" and do a little traveling around (I wouldn't recommend disconnecting the fifthwheel and leaving it in a Wal-Mart parking lot while traveling about the town). But, I must say that fifthwheels are becoming a lot easier to set up with the new leveling options that are being offered. No more boards or leveling blocks, just push a button like the "motorhome boys" do and the rig levels itself.

Fifthwheels are better suited for those who are going to stay several days or longer at each stop. Especially if you are staying in one place for a month or longer. Motorhomes like to be run and don't necessarily enjoy sitting in one place for long periods of time. Like a car or truck they are made to be on the road and things tend to breakdown if they are not used frequently. Another thing, fifthwheels typically provide more living space and, Judy and I think, they offer more diverse floorplans from which to choose. However, I must say that a 40' motorhome with quad slides is very spacious.

So, with all of that said, basically it comes down to your pocket book and your lifestyle that will determine whether you should be looking at motorhomes or fifthwheels. From that point I would suggest that you start looking at "top quality" rigs to see how they are built. The key is to do your homework and visit several manufacturers to see first hand their assembly processes. Review the specification sheets and option lists looking especially at those items that deal with the infrustructure of the rig. Get an understanding of what are good construction practices and what are poor construction practices. Once you narrow your choice down to two or three manufacturers start looking at the floorplans and the interior options that will support your daily living needs. Then buy the "most" quality you that can afford; keep in mind that higher price doesn't necessarily mean better quality. Be sure to take your time and enjoy the process as this is part of the fulltiming dream.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008
I'm going to start by expressing two known facts right up front: Number 1. It is a general consensus among us fulltimers that a driving day is a none cooking day. And, Number 2. Miss Judy makes the best lasagna east of the Pacific Ocean. "Okay," you may ask, "What in the world have those two facts have to do with one another?" Well, this is how my warped mind works. I like Judy's lasagna but whenever she makes it there is way too much for just the two of us so I needed a plan and I needed it fast. Yesterday was a travel day for Norm and Linda Payne as they were arriving at Rainbow Plantation late in the day; therefore, a ready made solution was at hand. Judy J. would prepare her famous lasagna for Norm and Linda and I would get to partake in one of this world's greatest delights. Along with the lasagna we had green beans, French bread with an olive oil dip, wine, and brownies for desert. Yummy, Yum! Don't cha just love it when a plan comes together? I went to bed with a warm tummy and a smile on my face!!! If only all of my dilemmas were this easily solved.

It was good to see our dear friends again. Norm has certainly been through more than enough this past six months with the worst of it now behind him. A few more monthly checkups and hopefully they will be able to get back on the road again. They will be staying here at Rainbow Plantation until the end of March so we hope to see a lot more of them over the next two months and possibly doing a few day trips with them along the way. Judy and I really enjoyed their company last evening. I know I have said it many times before but making new friends and meeting up with old ones again is the best part of this lifestyle. It's all about friends, you just can't have enough of them.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Alex said it was time to get up, so I guess it is time to get up. He certainly is a funny katt who takes his job very seriously and does it well. He has his routine down pat and can have Miss Judy and I up within a few minutes. His first move is to walk up the entire length of my body while purring loudly, then he lays around the top of Miss Judy's head while continuing to purr loudly. If that doesn't work then he begins knocking things off the night stand, that generally gets Miss Judy moving. Next is the dresser - "dad leaves his wallet, comb, pocket knife, and pleasure card holder (we don't have business cards) on the dresser so I can start pushing them onto the floor." And, finally, If dad's feet haven't hit the floor yet then he just starts pacing around the bedroom howling loudly. "Yes, Alex, it's time to get up!"

The question of residency comes up often in the various RVing forums. There are a lot of legalities surrounding the terms "residency" and "domicile" and each state has its own set of laws regarding them which I don't even pretend to know or understand. But I do know that taxes is generally at the center of most of the online discussions.

In order to avoid paying state income taxes, personal property taxes, and/or minimize sales taxes I know fulltime RVers who have multiple addresses. They have their vehicles registered in one state while claiming to be residents of another state. And I can tell you folks that that is not a wise idea. It is called tax avoidance and it is illegal and sooner or later you'll get busted. There are heavy fines and jail sentences that will be imposed upon you which will most certainly impact your travel plans.

Once we are retired (or no longer w*rking) and no longer live in a sticks and bricks home we are free to select where we wish to reside. Although taxes fall into the equation I would not base my decision of residency entirely on the tax issue. Judy and I have been residents of several different states over the years. We were married in Michigan, her home state, and moved to Connecticut where we lived for fourteen years. Next we moved to Maine, my home state, where we lived for 10 years before moving back to Michigan. We lived in Michigan for 8 years and then in Georgia, as non-residents while maintaining our Michigan residency, for a year returning to Michigan for another 2 years before giving up w*rking and hitting the road.

We looked at four different states for our residency - Michigan, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas. I laid out a spreadsheet with each state listed along the top and various items for consideration down the left side. The items were - Income taxes, registration costs, vehicle insurance, personal property taxes, sales tax, and health insurance. We looked at Michigan because it was our home state at the time, Tennessee because two of our children reside there, Texas because we are members of the Escapees, and South Dakota because Alternate Resources provides a decent mail forwarding system.

In our case insurances (auto and health) became a larger dollar issue than taxes and overall South Dakota was the least expensive state to live in with Michigan and Tennessee being eliminated. But there were other considerations for us, we wanted some ties to the state that we choose as our residency and the Escapees Club was that tie. Alternate Resources does provide some services for becoming a resident and forwarding mail but the Escapees provides far more support for the fulltiming lifestyle so Texas became our choice.

We went to Livingston, Texas and established our residency by getting our driver's license, voter registration, vehicle inspection, vehicle tags and cell phones (this is so we would have a Texas area code). We had already established our mailing address on Rainbow Drive in Livingston, Texas (that's gotta be the longest road in the United States with the number of people who live there). From that point on we have claimed Livingston, Texas as our residence.

So my advice is NOT to select a state just to avoid taxes but to choose a state that supports your overall needs and then take all of the steps necessary to establish that state as both your residency and domicile. Do it correctly in the first place so that it is unquestionable and demonstrates your intent to be a resident of that state; this will keep you from encountering a lot of legal issues down the road.

Monday, January 21, 2008
This is ridiculous, I'm running around with a teenage mind on a sixty year old body. It now takes me all night just to do what I used to do all night. Anyway, I w*rked on Saturday night until 1:00 AM and it has taken me two nights just to catch up on my sleep with a twenty minute nap thrown in yesterday afternoon. When I wore a younger man's clothes it was nothing to be up until 1:00 AM, as a matter of fact, I could have still been up when the sun decided to get out of bed the next morning. But that is history now because when the sun goes down, I go down, but generally I do get up before Mr. Sunshine. At this point, I'm thinking of giving up w*rk for lent this year!! Especially w*rk that starts after dark!!

Miss Judy is serious about her football and gets really intense when things get tight for her Patriots. I enjoy football but can easily read a novel while the game is on, but Miss Judy, on the other hand, gets head over heels into the game. She doesn't just want a victory, she wants a massacre. Further, we've raised a son that is even worse than she is - he actually paces the floor while the game is on, how can anyone read while pacing the floor, I ask you? Now a third generation is being raised up with the same tendencies, Miss Catia, at the ripe old age of three, is a die hard Patriots fan with shirt, hat, and all. She acts just like her grand mother and father - Lord help us, might as well burn all the books.

Speaking of books, while it has been cooooold down here in the deep south, I have managed to read four novels over this past week. I haven't read like that in a long time and it has been really enjoyable but I am ready to put down the books and have some warm weather so we can get outside again. We don't like being cooped inside for very long and I'm ready to go biking or something. The sun is out brightly this morning and hopefully it will be warm enough to spend a few hours outside today, if for nothing else but to go for a nice three mile walk.

Saturday, January 19, 2008
The question of options for fifthwheels comes up often when I'm talking with other prospective fulltimers. Here are the ones that I recommend and few that I don't.

1. Disc Brakes - especially if you're towing with a 3/4 ton or a 1 ton pickup. These will make a big difference in your stopping distances both in traffic and when descending hills/mountains.

2. Hydraulic Leveling System - either an HWH or a Big Foot leveling system works just like the "big rigs" and will eliminate the need to place boards under your tires for leveling. These systems reduce the set up time while greatly improving the stability of the rig without using a hitch jack and, as we get older, we appreciate the little conveniences that make set up easier - just push the button.

3. Air Ride System - we have the Trail-aire system on both the axles and the hitch and it makes a world of difference in the ride for the rig and the truck. I wouldn't own another fifthwheel without it. Also, be sure that the axles are rated for a 7,000# capacity.

4. Inverter - at least an 1800 watt true sine inverter. This will allow you to watch television, use your computers, make coffee, make toast, run the microwave, etc. (not all at once - any two at a time) while you are dry docking. It will not run air conditioners, the hot water heater, your hair dryer, or electric heaters. Along with the inverter you should include four deep cell 6 volt (golf cart) batteries.

5. Artic Insulation Package with Thermo pane Windows - it can get cold in the south (even Florida and Texas) and these options will help keep the rig warm as well as reduce condensation. Also, they work the reverse during those hot summer days when you need to run your Air Conditioner.

6. Air Conditioner Upgrades - at least one 15,000 Btu air conditioner with heat pump. The heat pump will help keep you comfortable in those spring and fall days without running your furnace when the temperatures are in the 40's, 50's, and 60's. You might want to add an additional 13,500 Btu A/C in the bedroom if you plan on being in extremely hot areas.

7. Furnace Upgrades - get the best furnace that you possibly can, 35,000 to 40,000 Btu with two heating zones which will allow you to keep the bedroom area cooler than your living area.

8. 2" Receiver Hitch - this will allow you to put a bike rack on the back of the rig as well as other type of racks that you may have.

9. A Coat Closet in the Main Living Area - this is one that Judy would not be without. It gives you a place to put your jacket, or whatever, when you come in from inclement weather without having to put it up in the bedroom closet.

10. Desk and File Drawers - you'll need a place to put that never ending pile of accumulating paper as well as keep your computer, printer, etc.. It is just too inconvenient to use the dining room table because there are times that you want to leave things out while your working on them (like taxes - yuck!).

Okay, here's three that I would not get on my fifthwheel.

1. Built in Generator - they are heavy, take up a lot of space, and, unless your planning on doing a lot of boondocking, you will not use it enough to justify owning it. We have a 2,000 watt Honda generator and have used it a half dozen times in the past 18 months. It was more than enough for our purposes however I would suggest looking at the Yamaha 2500 watt which I am told will run a 13,500 Btu A/C (I would want to see that before totally believing it). Honda, also, makes a 3,000 watt generator but it is considerably bigger and heavier than the 2,000 watt. If I ever need more generator capacity I can get another 2,000 watt and link them together which will result in 4,000 watts of power. That would be enough to run everything in the rig (not all at once though).

2. Automatic Awning - there certainly are pros and cons about this option but the A/E 9000 series awning is easy enough to put out and take in. It allows me to change the angle which allows us to get more shade as the sun makes it trip across the sky. I have seen too many malfunctions in the automatic awnings to make it worth the money but, again, that is only my opinion.

3. Electric Dump Valves - we had them on our rig and had nothing but problems with them. The issue is the cheap wiring and plastic gears in the valves. After three issues with them I called the manufacturer and had them replaced with manual valves.

There are certainly many more options to consider but most of them are dependent on personal preferences. Televisions, surround sound, fireplaces, counter tops, floor coverings, washer/dryer, central vac, convection oven, etc. You should consider each of these in light of your current lifestyle and your personality. Hopefully this will gives you some information that you can use as a guide while you are making your choices. Should you have any questions please feel free to email me.

Friday, January 18. 2008
On several of the RVing forums there has been some discussion about diesel fuel prices and their impact to fulltiming. Some people are "second thinking" their decision about going fulltime while others are concerned as to whether they will be able to travel. These are very real issues and legitimate concerns for anyone entering the fulltime lifestyle but I would not base my decision entirely on the fuel prices.

Judy and I believe that the first step to any lifestyle is being debt free. By being debt free it allows you the freedom of choice that you don't have when you're indebted to a banks, credit card companies, or any other financial institution (or anyone else for that matter). Secondly is to live a simpler lifestyle not cluttered with things; the more "stuff" you have the more you become enslaved to it. Now let's look at the fulltime lifestyle in light of "recession" and increased fuel costs.

The key to the fulltime lifestyle is your budget. You must have a budget and know where your money is going (unless, of course, you have "deep pockets"). Your budget needs to be realistic and contain some buffer in it for emergencies. We over spent our first year budget by over $7,000 (with $3,000 going toward our leased site here at Rainbow Plantation) which is not a good thing but being that we are debt free we will be able to make some adjustments to both our spending and our income for 2008 to make up the difference. Being fulltimers gives us more options than we would have had while living in a house in that we can move to areas with lower cost of living and, also, have the entire United States at our disposal for generating income.

Keep in mind that not only is the price of diesel fuel increasing but so is home heating oil and/or natural gas/propane. Oil prices also impact the cost of electricity and other utilities as well. Also, you know that property taxes will continue to rise as communities are faced with the same increased costs while providing their services. So, I think you're going to find that the cost of home ownership will increase faster than the cost living fulltime in an RV.

Here are some of the options that we are exercising:

1. Travel less, stay longer. In 2007 we towed the fifthwheel over 9,000 miles - in 2008 and 2009 we will reduce that by 3,000 miles and still be able see just as much. Also, we will probably enjoy it more by having more time to spend in the local communities along the way.

2. We have increased our budget for the next 18 months to be in line with our actual living expenses (which, by the way, are about 50% of what they were when we owned a house). By doing this we have created a shortfall in our savings available over that time period.

3. Increase our income by doing three workamping assignments instead of two during the next 18 months. That in itself will generate enough income to cover the shortfall in our savings while, at the same time, reducing our cost of living expenses by having a full hook up site as well as reducing our fuel costs. We will seek out workamping assignments that pay for every hour worked along with providing a full hook up site and some other benefits such as propane, store discounts, etc.

4. Take full advantage of "free" and/or low priced sites while traveling. Last year we found ourselves paying more for an overnight site than we wanted. We take advantage of Passport America sites and sometimes stay at Flying J's and Cracker Barrel but we have never stayed at a Wal-Mart, K-mart, etc. which we will take advantage of in the next two years.

5. We enjoy eating out but will cut back by one outing a month which will save between $25 to $30 a month. We'll be more selective when it comes to eating out by restricting it primarily to breakfasts and lunches which are generally less expensive than dinners.

6. And, lastly, we will continue to look for other ways to reduce our overall spending. But keep in mind that we want to enjoy our lifestyle and not live like misers.

Further, for your information, our 2007 budget was $36,000 but we spent over $43,000 and have adjusted it to $42,500 for 2008 and 2009. By taking the steps above we will be able to continue living the fulltime lifestyle and still live it pretty comfortably. As Jack Mayer likes to point out; "this is a lifestyle not a vacation." Well, that's enough for now but I just wanted you to see how adjustments can be made that will allow you to live this lifestyle and still travel. And that's why I say that I would not base my decision whether to fulltime or not on fuel prices alone.

Until next time - Happy traveling.

Thursday, January 17, 2008
Well I did it again!! I keep saying that I'm not going to do it but somehow I do it anyway. I watched the evening news with Brian Williams. The world is going to heck in a hand basket with our banks starting to sell their stock to foreign gummints, oil prices sill going up, the housing crisis continuing, the Republican Party in disarray, and the Democrats going to the mattresses. Chicken Little is alive and well. I saw my shadow and now I'm holding up in my RV somewhere in Alabama for another six weeks.

We've seen this coming. We've seen the oil companies make record profits while gouging the American public and congress fiddles. We've seen pharmaceutical companies charge hundreds of dollars for one pill and congress fiddles. We've seen hospitals charging $30 for a band aid and congress fiddles. We've seen health insurance companies charging higher premiums while providing less coverage - if you can get insurance at all - and congress fiddles. We've seen banks and financial institutions hand out credit cards like candy on halloween and congress fiddles. We've seen George W. Bush get us into a war that we had no business getting into in the first place and congress fiddles. We've seen this country go from a surplus budget to double digit billion dollar deficit spending and congress fiddles. And now we're seeing our banks and financial institutions being bought up by foreign countries - some with terrorists ties - and congress still fiddles. I could go on and on but what really infuriates me is that our illustrious congress sits in Washington, D.C. holding hearings on the steroid use in baseball. Who the he-- cares and what in he-- are they doing involved in that anyway - we have a law enforcement and a judicial system to handle that sort of thing. It's time that we vote the rouges out of office and send them packing with their lifetime salaries and health benefits in hand.

This gummint is out of control with too much influence by special interest groups. Somehow, we need to take back our country and the only means that we have to do that is our electoral process. The difficulty is getting good honest Americans who are not on the take to run for office and win! Now that's easier said than done. The ones we currently have running for president are quick to point out the short falls of their rivals but don't seem to have any answers for themselves. However, I don't care if you're a Repubican or a Demorat, take time to look at all of the candidates closely and try to vote for the ones who will actually govern with the interest of the American public being foremost and who restore some virtue back into our system of government - which, by the way, is still the best system in the world. We all should be writing our representatives letting them know where we stand on the issues. With email available it is easier than ever to contact senators and congressmen. Now, I ask you, what in the world has all of this got to do with fulltime RVing??? I gotta quit watching the evening news.

Wednesday, January 16,2008
You know how I say that old habits are hard to break? Well there's one that hasn't been difficult to break at all, it's getting up early to go to w*rk!! I used to get up at 4:00 every day so that I could in the office by 5:00. From 5:00 to 7:00 was my most productive time of the day - but not anymore. I just walk around like a zombie in a stupor wondering what the heck I am doing up at this ungodly hour. Four A. M. is my REM time when I am deep in la la land - that noise goes off again and I'm going to have to break something :-). Like I said, I'm beginning to think that I am just not cut out for w*rk.

Last night I finished one of the novels that I got at the library on Monday morning. I haven't taken time to read like that in a long time. It was nice just to sit and read and let my mind follow the story - it was relaxing. It's a good thing that I got two novels or else I would have to drive back over to the library this afternoon to get another one.

Now that I have come to and the coffee is ready I realize it is raining. It is a nice steady gentle rain which would put me right back to sleep if my head were to touch the pillow - don't tempt me now!!! Another thing that Miss Judy and I talked a little about yesterday afternoon was starting to do some more local sightseeing. There are still several places we would like to visit within a couple of hours of Rainbow Plantation. Not only would that give us something to do plus it might cure a case of Hitch Itch that is beginning to flare up and, further, it would give me something to publish in the travelogue. I will only be posting one travelogue a month for January, February, and March - I know, I still haven't finished December Part II.

Well, it's off to take a shower and go count pants. Today we're off to Haggar's to take inventory - the good news is that these inventories only take about 4 hours which gets us back home by 11:00. So, ta ta for now!!!!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Well, we are up early and off to w*rk counting books this morning at Books-A-Million in Gulf Shores. It will only take 4 to 6 hours so by 12:00 we will be home and have the rest of the day to ourselves. Yesterday we dropped some books off at the library and picked up some new ones. I used to read a lot until I got into senior management then I spent a too much time w*rking so it's been nice just to have a little time to sit back and enjoy reading a few novels. That's what I will be doing this afternoon. If it is warm enough I will be out in the front yard sitting in one of our reclining lawn chairs with a book laying across my chest while I check my eyelids for light leaks. But I will get a few chapters under my belt first. Sorry for such a short entry but it's time to go. Bye for now. Boy, is 4:00 AM awfully early or what?

Monday, January 14, 2008
We are enjoying it here at Rainbow Plantation but I must admit that I am beginning to get a little case of hitch-itch. We haven't been doing anything special and there are still a lot of things left to do in this area. I must start my research and get going. There's biking trails, there's scenic areas, there's historic sites, and there's always the beach. We have been so busy doing nothing that we haven't had any time to do something. Shame on us.

Saturday I got the wainscoting stained so I am ready to start installing that along the front wall leading up to the bedroom. Miss Judy got out a couple boxes of pictures that we brought back from our storage shed in Murfreesboro and sorted them out. One box is pictures that belonged to my mom and dad and she wants to scrapbook some of them and find homes for the rest (mainly my brother's house :) - so hang on Mike, a box of pictures are coming your way). Yesterday afternoon we reviewed our 2008 budget and travel plans in light of the additional expenses to fix Miss Judy's teeth; it looks like it will be about the same this year as last at $42,500. I was hoping to trim about $6,500 out of the budget. However, in spite of the fact that the cost of living is going up it is still remains popular.

This morning we will clean up the house and go grocery shopping but being that today will be one of the top ten days this week I would like to go biking this afternoon. There is a bike trail that runs along the eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay which should be a very enjoyable ride. J and Bill have been expressing interest in riding the trail as well, so if Miss Judy doesn't feel up to it maybe they will go with me. That would give me something more interesting to write about rather than this dribble. And that's how it is this 14th day of January two thousand and eight!!!

Saturday, January 12, 2008
There's a saying, "put your money where your mouth is!" Well, that's exactly what we are going to be doing this year. Judy went to the dentist to get her teeth cleaned and to have him look at an abscess on her gum and as it turns we are going to be putting a lot of money where her mouth is. She needs to have two teeth pulled and bridges installed (one on each side of her lower teeth) due to previous root canals that have gone bad. This means that we will have to revisit our 2008 budget and see what adjustments we'll need to make. We have a cushion in our savings that will cover us but we also have another 20 months to go before I can start drawing my pensions. Our goal is to remain debt free and to maintain a healthy cushion in our savings which means that we will need to make some changes to our plans. Now, don't feel we are destitute or that we are at bankruptcy's door because we are not. We are just conservative when it comes to our finances and want to maintain our freedom therefore we will do whatever we need to do so that we can continue doing what we want to do.

The main reason for sharing this information with you is so that those of you who are making plans to go fulltime can learn from our experiences. We are strong advocates of living a debt free lifestyle so that you can have options. We absolutely refuse to go into debt even for emergencies and that is why we want to maintain a healthy cushion in our savings. Our plan is to replace any money that we take out for emergencies as fast as we can which will allow us to maintain our freedom. But, on the other hand, do not let this scare you from making the transition to the fulltime RVing lifestyle. These types of events take place whether you live in an RV or in sticks and bricks. In our mind there is no other lifestyle that we would rather be living at this time in our lives. Even if this means that we have to w*rkamp more than we had planned we can still w*rk wherever we want in the United States and still be able to travel, sightsee, and visit our grand children (and maybe their parents as well).

By the way, I forgot to mention that my dear bride published an article on Thrusday in Judy's Corner about geocaching. Please check it out so that I can get out of H-O-T water. And, in the words of Paul Harvey, "Good Day!"

Friday, January 11, 2008
Theeze mornin' iz sho-nuff wakin' up pruddy aftah havin' sum ruff weathah lazz nite. The wind blew and the rain flew and there stood you. We had thunder, we had lightening, we had wind, and we had rain - sounds like a song is coming on, doesn't it? Anywhoo, today is going to be a great day in the neighborhood.

The East Traveler Street gang is going to have a birthday luncheon today at Big Daddy's. Big Daddy's is a local restaurant that serves mainly seafood dishes and is way too handy to the park. I love the Oyster Po-Boys but that's too much fried food and bread for me so today I will have the grilled shrimp which is also a very tasty meal (that's Judy's favorite). I'm still keeping my eyes open for a good scallop meal being that scallops are my favorite seafood. Anyway, there are several of the gang that have birthdays during the month of January and being that we needed a reason to celebrate ;-) we decided that birthdays would be a good one. So, we will sing "Happy Birthday", eat some shrimp, and come home for a nap. Life is good!!!

Our good friends Randy and Terry Guiler ( Guiler Travels ) stopped over for a visit yesterday afternoon. We met them while we were here last year and spent some quality time with them - we really enjoy their company and friendship a lot so it was good to see them again. They will be here for the winter and we look forward to getting together with them often - especially for some of the Mardi Gras parades. Mardi Gras comes early this year; as a matter of fact, some of the parades have already taken place on Daulphin Island and in Mobile. We will go to the parades in Fairhope and Foley - they are smaller but less crowded and just as much fun.

Hope you have a great day and may God bless.

Thursday, January 10, 2008
Yesterday was supposed to be a rainy but it turned out to be a nice sunny day with temperatures in the high 70's which allowed us to play outside. Our friends, Ray and Pat Faber, from Mecosta, Michigan had arrived in the park last week and they enjoy going geocaching so they invited us to go along with them. Ray printed out the coordinates for four different caches in our area and off we went. This was Judy's and my first experience with this hobby. I have read a little about geocaching here and there on other fulltimers' websites and thought that it would be fun. Ray and Pat let us find the caches and it is fun and even a little bit challenging as some of the caches are very well hidden. We located all four caches and one was a unique attraction that we would never have visited otherwise which made this an especially good find. It was a circular one room house that was built by Henry James Stuart who was the main character of the novel "Poet of Tolstoy Park". Another cache had a camera in it for us to take our pictures along with signing the log. The locations of the caches are to be kept secret so others can experience the same thrill that we did in locating them; therefore I will not say anymore about them. However, geocaching does look like it would be a fun and inexpensive hobby that could lead us to many unusual sites that we would have passed by otherwise. We need to visit geocaching.com, which is the official website for geocaching, to read more about this hobby.

Some more East Traveler Street residents, Paul and Linda, arrived on the first Saturday of this week. They have a heavy duty truck (HDT) for a tow vehicle which Paul let Judy and I sit in it and look around the cab. It is a sleep over cab with a dinette, bunk beds, microwave, refrigerator, television, and a porta-potty. Other than being B-I-G it is very nice and I can see how it would be a pleasure to drive while towing our home "down the road". I just can't imagine going to the grocery store or church or geocaching or whatever in it; although it handles just as well as our truck and even has a shorter turn radius. A used Heavy Duty Truck in good condition is generally less expensive than Medium Duty Trucks and even a new one ton diesel dually but does seem like a little bit of "over kill" for towing a fifthwheel. It is in our plans to upgrade our tow vehicle in the fall of 2009, who knows maybe we'll put one those "bad boys" in our driveway.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008
What happened, where was yesterday's entry, did he give up the ghost? No, I am still alive and well. Yesterday I got up real early and went to w*rk. I left the house at 5:00 AM and didn't get home until almost 7:00 PM- that's absurd. We had to drive to Fort Walton, Florida which is 2 hours away and we did stop to eat on the way home which means that we only w*rked an 8 hour day. However, I'm beginning to come to a fast conclusion that I wasn't made for w*rk! But w*rk I must and two days a week isn't all that bad.

While I was w*rking Judy went and picked up the Gateway from the repair shop. It is nice to have both computers up and running as we don't share well. Actually the issue is that we both sit down at the same time and we both want to get on line. The additional ram does help with the computer's speed which is especially nice when the computer is booting up.

I must confess, even though I got a decent night's sleep I am still groggy so I am going to sign off for now and will try to write something more worthy of your intelligence later. In the mean time - Have a great day.

Monday, January 7, 2008
Just after I published Saturday's entry Ron called and said that "they" needed more help in inventorying a store in Foley so we said we would go. It was a store called Mossy Oak which I refer to as a LL Bean wannabee - it will take several lifetimes for them to get anywhere close though. Between it and the Old Time Pottery Barn I am totally amazed by the management that these stores don't have. They can't possibly be making very much, if any, profit as they are absolutely overstocked and poorly organized with a lot of junk everywhere (no quality products here!).

Be that as it may, this district of RGIS is not very well run either. The work week begins on Saturday and we are supposed to be emailed a schedule no later than Thursday but "they" never emailed it until Saturday morning. "They" should have known how many people "they" needed to inventory the Mossy Oak store and manned it appropriately without having to call around looking for people on the morning of the inventory. It is a lot less difficult to plan ahead than it is to operate by knee jerk reactions at the last minute. To bad common sense isn't common. But the good news is that I'm not in charge and I'm not responsible - all I have to do is count sh - -, eh, I mean stuff. :-)

What wonderful weather we've been having the last couple of days. Yesterday was sunny with temperatures in the mid 70's and I sat outside in my tank top, shorts, and, of course, my sandals. We have a television in our basement so I was able to watch football outside while working on my tan. In the evening we all gathered around the fire pit to enjoy each other's company while sipping some fruit of the vine and snacking on some hors d'oeuvres (pronounced horse doo-vers). Yes, this is definitely the way to spend the winter!!!!!

Saturday, January 5, 2008
Yippee, Hooray, Yahoo - the picnic table is assembled and ready for use. Today is supposed to be in the high 90's (well, it will feel that way after the temperatures we've been having) so we will be able to burn some dead chicken outside on the grill and eat it outside on our new picnic table. Later we may set fire to some wood and gather around the fire pit with a little "fruit of the vine". This is such a rough life, we almost hate to get up each morning to face the day! ;-)

It was the power connection on the back of the computer that was broken so we are having it repaired plus having another 256k of ram installed. The computer should be "good to go" for another couple of years and we won't have to learn Microsoft's new (improved?) Vista upgrade. In any event, it will cost about $150 to get the computer out of hawk.

We didn't really "blow the budget" as we have put money in the budget to cover occurrences such as these, it's just that we weren't ready to start using that line item so early in the year. But we know that "Stuff Happens" rather you live in an RV or in a mansion and that it's all part of the game of life. Economists have told us that the cost of living is going up but it still remains popular in spite of that fact.

Today a group of us guys are going to gather wood for our evening campfires. There are several dead trees around the perimeter of the campground and "they" are more than happy to have us clean it up. We will most likely get enough wood to supply the entire street for the rest of the year. I haven't cut, split and stacked wood for a good many years. It is said that a man who splits his own wood is twice warmed by it.

Friday, January 4, 2008
Here it is Friday already. The bad thing about retirement is that you never get a day off so Friday is just another Saturday which makes this the fifth Saturday this week. I did not get the picnic table put together because it was just too darn cold to be outside for very long. We did go for a walk after which we went grocery shopping. Today the temps are suppose to be a little more mild so I should be able to get the picnic table assembled.

Another issue is that our Gateway computer has bit the dust. The battery died about a year ago so we have needed to use the power cord all the time. The power cord has been breaking at the connector where it plugs into the computer. I used some duct tape to protect the area from being pulled, twisted, or bent but somehow the cord found its way under the recliner's foot. So when I went to sit the computer on the coffee table it yanked on the cord and the computer went dead so we are going to see if we can find a new power cord at a computer repair store. Since Judy and I don't play and share well when it comes to computers we'll will need to purchase another computer if we can't find a replacement cord. On the third Saturday the truck wouldn't start and I had to replace both batteries. At least we will blow the budget in the first week of the year so we won't have to worry about that anymore - Sometimes it's just one darn thing after another.

No matter what, this is still the best lifestyle ever - these kinda things happen to everyone regardless of whether you live in real estate or wheel estate. Well, it's off to see the wizard, hopefully he has a power cord.

Thursday, January 3, 2008
Alright, who's the wise guy that left the gate open when they departed the north? We came here to escape the coooooold but coooooold is what we are getting. The coooooold has seemed to have attached itself to the New Year. We were sitting outside having a "family gathering" on New Year's Eve Day in 70 degree weather and then it was Happy New Year with Mother Nature turning on the air conditioner. It has been getting coooooooolder everyday since. Last night the temperatures dropped into the upper teens - that's brrrrrrrr to the fourth power. If this keeps up we'll be able to go ice skating on the Gulf of Mexico and, to think, I sold my ice skates in a yard sale way back when we parted company with all of our "stuff". Oh well, the weatherman-woman is telling us that it will start warming up from today on and will be back in the 70's by Monday. Whew, if we can only make it without freezing to death.

One of our RV-Dreams cyber friends, Jenny Johnson, has started a blog. Jenny has aspirations of becoming a fulltime RVer in a few years and her blog is off to a good start. Her entry about Coeur d'Alene, Idaho makes me want to stop by for a visit when we pass through Idaho, but gotta get rid of that snow first. Judy and I can certainly relate to the grand children connection - good looking kids, Jenny. We have added your blog to our favorites, JJ, and look forward to keeping track of your shenanigans. Here's a link to her blog - Eleven Foot RV. Now, in the words of Jenny's dad, "That's It For Today!"

Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Just want to let everyone know that I am working on the December 2007 - Part II travelogue and hope to publish it this week. Yes, I know that I am late but this fast pace is giving me stress ;-), so please be patient with me. Judy and I have been doing some reflecting and making our plans for 2008. We definitely want to make some changes in our fulltiming lifestyle, i.e. to "slow down, you're moving too fast!!" Even though this is a slower pace than our previous life, it is still a faster pace than we had anticipated. I guess we just don't down shift that fast and our old habits are harder to break than we expected. In order to make changes you need to know what you want and balance it with what you need to do in order to attain it. "Do what you need to do so you can do what you want to do." So that is what we have been discussing over the past few days.

The cooolllddd weather has moved in. It only got into the 50's yesterday and dropped into the low 20's last night - that's a double brrrrrr, maybe even a triple. I had to put water in the potable water tank and disconnect the hoses to so they wouldn't freeze. We, also, had to put a blanket over the poor little flowers to keep them from freezing to death. By Saturday it is supposed to be back to the high 60's or the low 70's, that'll be tolerable. At least it's sunny with no snow flying. My brother said they have two to three feet of snow on the ground in Maine and Judy's sister said that they have one foot of snow in Michigan. They can have it, I've seen enough snow to last me a lifetime.

Today I will bundle up so I can go outside and assemble our picnic table in anticipation of dining on it Saturday or Sunday afternoon. We enjoy barbecuing and eating outside so it will be nice to have a table in the front yard. Well, I best get going on that Travelogue. Be sure to tell someone you love them today and give your katt a hug. :-)

Tuesday, January 1, 2008
I tried but I just couldn't do it. I tried to stay up and watch the ball drop but my eyelids dropped first and when I came to it was already one hour into 2008. My bride, on the other hand, didn't even bother trying. She just put her sweet little head down on her pillow and said, "See you in the bzzzzzzzzz, bzzzzzzzz"! Katie just said, "What's new year, dad?" as she circled twice in the recliner and settled in for a good night's sleep. Alex tried to stay up with dad but he to succumbed to slumberland as well. Oh well, it was 12 o'clock somewhere so Haappppy Neeewww Yearrrr!!!!!!!

Like any new year, you enter in with hope and anticipation of good things coming to past. Judy and I don't make New Year's resolutions but we do want to improve some of our daily habits in order to ensure that we remain healthy. As many of you know, I carry around extra unneeded pounds that make me look a little fat - oh alright, a lot fat! We have been changing our diet over the past year and now eat pretty healthy foods, however, it is now time to start concentrating on portion control and reduce our "eating out" (that would help our budget as well as my girth). I love to sample local cuisine (or any cuisine for that matter) but restaurants put way too much on the plate and I eat it all - after all there are starving kids in India.

Another area is exercise. Dr. Oz says (don't you just hate it when someone starts meddling?) that we need to walk at least a half hour each day. Walking is not hard work and we have a three mile route around the Park that takes us about 45 minutes, but it is consistency that I need to implement. That is to walk everyday not just several times a week. Dr. Oz also says (there's that guy again) that we need to do strength exercises three times a week to improve our bone and muscle structure. We carry rubber bands with us so we can do some strength exercises but the only exercising that we have gotten with them is carrying them from one place to another. Also, Dr. Oz says (boy, I could learn to dislike that guy) that yoga or tai chi is good for improving your over all flexibility and reducing stress. We enjoy tai chi but just haven't set aside the time for it.

The most important area is spiritual growth. It is our desire to consistently spend some time each day meditating on God's Word. Our church is focusing on growth for 2008 with one of the growth areas being spiritual growth beginning with a daily reading program that will have us all "on the same page". The daily readings will dove tail in with the weekly sermon and our weekly home group study. This has been our lifetime goal: To know Him, to be like Him, and to glorify Him. Our church's program will certainly help us in attaining our goal.